ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Haverford College women's soccer team (9-2-1, 3-0-1 CC) remained undefeated in Centennial Conference play by defeating Muhlenberg (1-11-1, 0-4-1 CC) 4-0, as senior Keira Prince recorded her second career hat-trick in the first half.
After the Mules had some difficulty getting the ball out of their own box following a Sarah Klink header, Klink collected the ball inside the 18' and rushed towards the end line. The senior played a low driven pass into the middle of the box where Prince was in the right place at the right time, slotting a shot into the back of the net to give Haverford a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute.
Prince extended the Scarlet and Black's lead to 2-0 in the 12th minute, scoring her second goal of the game and fourth of the season. After a pass in the midfield from Phoebe Garfield, Prince took the ball towards the top of the box and fired a menacing shot towards goal. The ball curled into the top left corner and into the back of the net, giving Haverford a quick 2-0 advantage.
Lily Buyer was called into action for the first time in the 15th minute, denying a threatening shot by Muhlenberg. After a centering pass into the box from Bri Astbury that pinballed around, Stella Del Sorda placed a shot on frame. Buyer leapt into the air and managed to punch the ball over the net, preserving the 2-0 lead for the visitors.
With just 15 seconds remaining in the half, Prince struck again, getting her hat-trick by intermission. The senior tried to chip a ball into the box that was weakly cleared away. The ball rolled back to Prince, who dashed into the box and hit a right-footed shot past Mules' keeper Megan Stairs, pushing the Fords lead to 3-0. The hat-trick achieved by Prince is the second of her career, and is the first Haverford hat-trick since Prince notched a three-goal game against DeSales on September 9, 2023.
The 53rd minute saw the Scarlet and Black score yet again, this time coming from the foot of Grace Haskell. A long bending pass from Garfield was eventually run into by Lauren Anderson. Anderson sprinted into the 18' with the ball and unleashed a shot on net. The chance was parried away by Stairs, but was poked in by a sliding Haskell, to put the Fords up 4-0.
Muhlenberg found their first golden opportunity of the game in the 61st minute, when an Ivy Diaz cross forced Buyer to come out of the goal, eventually getting tangled up with Rose Larner. The official awarded the Mules a penalty kick, however, the shot from spot by Astbury was turned away by Buyer, keeping the game at a 4-0 scoreline.
Haverford tested the backline of Muhlenberg with a few tempting chances throughout the rest of the contest, but once the final whistle blew the scoreboard remained flashing 4-0. The win for the Fords marks their third conference win of the season, as the Scarlet and Black continue their best start to a season since 2019.
The Fords outshot the Mules 18-11, with Prince converting on each of her game-high three shots. Despite the one-sided victory, Buyer paced all goalkeepers in saves with seven.
Following the road trip to Allentown, Pa., women's soccer will now return home to Walton Field to host the Washington College Shorewomen on Sunday, October 13, at 12 p.m.
